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Key theme: The roles and utility of airpower in 21st century war and conflict

Sub-themes: Contemporary air doctrine

Developments in airpower technology and its implications

‘Drone warfare’ – legal, ethical and strategic considerations

Critical approaches to the study of airpower

In the 21st century military operations without airpower are an unlikely prospect. Yet, our understanding of the role of airpower in modern conflict remains restricted owing to the persistent preoccupation of airpower thinking with arguments either in favour of or against strategic air campaigns. Proponents believe that tactical and technological improvements will steadily strengthen airpower’s prowess. Sceptics, in contrast, hold that airpower’s utility is distinctly limited or even counterproductive, especially in irregular conflicts and today’s era of ‘new’ wars. The challenges of modern war and conflict are far more complex than a straightforward dichotomy between ‘old’ interstate wars and ‘new’ irregular conflicts. It is clear that something has been changing, but the exact nature of these changes and their implications for the utility of airpower are far from clear.

The one-day workshop on Airpower and War in the 21st Century will bring together airpower practitioners and scholars from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. It is intended to break the bounds of the strategic airpower debate. It will seek a more comprehensive approach, linking the study of airpower firmly to current debates on the international, political, technological, legal and ethical aspects of war, thus illuminating dimensions of airpower that are crucial for our understanding of its role in modern warfare, but often tend to be neglected.

The workshop will be held by the University of Nottingham’s Centre of Conflict, Security and Terrorism with support of the Institute of Aerospace Technology and the Institute for Asia and Pacific Studies. Please see detailed programme overleaf.